Yokohama
Yokohama, Garden to Harbour
Yokohama taken from the garden end — historic buildings carried here from Kyoto and Gifu at nine, dim sum in the Chinatown at midday, a 1930 liner in the afternoon, the bayfront after dark.
5 stops · one day
The route
- 01
Yokohama · Honmoku · From Yokohama Stn · ~25 min bus
Sankeien Garden
Ten Important Cultural Properties in one garden — a 15th-century Kyoto pagoda, a Shirakawago farmhouse, and more, all within Yokohama.
What to look for
- Three-story pagoda (Tomyoji Pagoda) — built in Kyoto in 1457, relocated to this garden in 1914; the structure that anchors the outer garden skyline
- Rinshunkaku villa — a villa originally built for a Tokugawa family member, with interior paintings by the Kano school; the centrepiece of the inner garden
- Shirakawago farmhouse (Yanohara House) — a thatched gasshozukuri farmhouse moved from Gifu; shows the original hearth and kitchen
- 02
Kanagawa · Yokohama Naka-ku · From Tokyo Stn · ~45 min
Yokohama Chinatown
Japan's largest Chinatown: Cantonese dim sum and a historic temple in one walkable grid.
What to look for
- Decorative gates (paifang) — colourful Chinese gateways marking the district entrances
- Grid of streets and lanes — several hundred restaurants and shops in a compact, walkable area
- Kanteibyo temple — ornate Chinese temple dedicated to Guan Yu, first built as a shrine in 1862
- 03
Kanagawa · Yokohama · From Tokyo Stn · ~40 min
Yamashita Park and the Hikawa Maru
A harbour park reclaimed with rubble from the 1923 earthquake, with a 1930 liner moored to it that survived three mines and is now an Important Cultural Property.
What to look for
- Boarding the Hikawa Maru — the 1930 liner open to walk through, from the first-class saloon down to the engine room; an Important Cultural Property since 2016
- The art deco interiors — the first-class dining room and grand staircase, preserved with the fittings from her Seattle-route years
- The harbour promenade — the seawall walk along the park with the container terminal and Bay Bridge across the water
- 04
Kanagawa · Yokohama / Minatomirai · From Tokyo Stn · ~50 min
The Cupnoodles Museum in Yokohama
Invent-your-own-Cup-Noodle museum on the Yokohama waterfront; 500 yen entry, workshops extra.
What to look for
- Instant Noodles History Cube — a wall of package designs running from the 1958 original to the present day
- Momofuku's Research Shed — a reconstruction of the small backyard hut where instant ramen was developed
- My CUPNOODLES Factory — design the cup, choose one soup and four toppings, and have it sealed in front of you — 500 yen per cup
- 05
Kanagawa · Yokohama / Nishi-ku · From Tokyo Stn · ~30 min
Yokohama Minato Mirai 21
Yokohama's waterfront district built on a former shipyard — the walk from the Red Brick Warehouses to the Landmark Tower takes about 20 minutes.
What to look for
- Landmark Tower (exterior and base) — 296-metre skyscraper, tallest in Japan on completion in 1993; Sky Garden on the 69th floor is closed for renovation until approx. 2028
- Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel — 112.5-metre wheel with a giant digital clock at its hub, part of Yokohama Cosmo World amusement park
- Red Brick Warehouse (Aka Renga Soko) — two early-20th-century port warehouses now housing shops, restaurants, and event space right on the water